(Harmione): Gryffindors Heir
by TurnersOfTime
Summary: Based in 5th year; Harry and Hermione sneak out of the castle, where Harry leads them to the massive, hidden garden that belongs to Hagrid. Harry has learnt to become an Animagus, and with Hermione's help hopes to perfect the skill. They soon discover a whole new world, ran by massive, talking, armor-wearing lions which are in a dangerous dispute over who has a right to rule.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hello fellow Harry Potter fans! Not sure how many Harmony/Harmione fans there is here, but this is just a little something I've come up with gradually. So I do hope you will enjoy it. :) Now, because I love the Harry Potter games that were released on the PS2 years back; Some of the places and areas from the game will show up in this story. Example: Hagrid's Garden, for anyone familiar with the games, you may remember entering a whole different area, which was a massive garden, not too far from Hagrid's Hut. So expect to see some places that were not present in the books or movies! Also I am aware that if Harry had an Animagus form it would be a stag, but for story reasons it will be something else! :D**

 **Let us begin shall we!**

It was a late summer's night, the moment Harry heard the old bells chime to the hour of 1am, his emerald green eyes flew open.

With the light sounds of snores moving around him, Harry sat himself up on his four poster bed.

Feeling for his round glasses; the young teen with the messy, jet-black hair slipped them on and stood up.

Trying not to make too much noise, he changed into some casual clothing, slipping a light blue on and light blue jeans to match.

Knowing this was really the only time he would have to himself, so he could practice his magic skills, he would take every moment possible to perfect his newly found skill.

After putting his black runners on; Harry reached for his wand and slipped it into his back pocket.

Without a sound, the fifteen year old headed across the dormitory floor, and over to the stairs that led down into the Gryffindor Common Room.

As he ascended, Harry noticed the dim light from the candles streaming up the stairs; Why were the candles still burning?

The only thing Harry could think of is that maybe someone was still up, possibly studying into the early hours of the morning.

 _'Who would study at this hour? unless..'_ Harry's thoughts trailed off and he had a feeling he knew exactly who.

Once he was down the stairs, Harry's emerald eyes scanned the Common room; As soon as his eyes trailed over to the tables set up for study, that is when he spotted someone familiar.

Even though she had her back to him, Harry could tell by the shiny, brown waves in her that it was Hermione.

 _'No surprise, assignments are due in a few hours for Potions and Defense Against the Dark Arts classes..if you can even call an assignment from toad face worthy of ones time'._ Harry stayed where he was for a moment longer, watching his friend hard at work.

Frowning a little; something just occurred to him _'Odd...she would usually have all her school work done way before now'._

Hermione was usually excellent with time management and would have just about every single assignment done, or close to be done before anyone else. He couldn't help but wonder if maybe she was over loading herself with too many assignments at once.

It was only now, did it occur to Harry that his plans to go wandering outside at 1am in the morning would be dashed.

No way could he get out of this Common room without Hermione spotting him, and he knew for sure she would question him.

Lately, Harry had noticed Hermione's increase when it came to worrying about him; How could he blame her though? the events of his 4th year had changed everything, made most things that little bit more darker.

Something good had at least come out of the horrifying events of the year before, thanks to them, Harry felt he and Hermione had grown closer and maybe something within their friendship had shifted.

Finally deciding he may as well just go and talk to her, Harry took a breath and quietly made his way over to where Hermione was sitting, she certainly looked to be hard at work.

"Hey Hermione, what are you still doing up? studying?" Harry tried to make himself sound as casual as what he could.

Having been so engrossed in her studying, Hermione didn't notice Harry come over to her. Hearing him suddenly speak caused her to jump slightly, she then gasped "Harry!"

Rubbing at one of her eyes, she continued "Don't startle me like that, when I am concentrating...and yes, I'm studying...I needed to focus and complete all the necessary assignments for our O. and then, I stupidly let that get in the way of work that is due tomorrow morning..well in the next several hours"

Remembering what time it was, Hermione then held a tired but puzzled expression across her features "Umm, Harry...why are YOU up so late? shouldn't you be a sleep right now?" There was a hint of suspicion popping up in her tone.

He should of known that Hermione was going to question him; no matter which way he approached it, there was no escaping the issue in the least.

Trying to avoid the question altogether, he went another route "Wow Hermione, its not like you to forget about any of your assignments..you're not studying too hard are you?"

A little frown crossed Harry's face, he looked concerned for his best friend.

"You know studying is great and all...but don't overdo it Hermione".

"Studying too hard? some people might think so but...well I didn't forget about them, I just got a little busy with studying for our more important assessments..that's all". Once Harry told her not to overdo her studying, Hermione simply looked down at all the work spread out in front of her and spoke "Well it needs to be done, I can't just leave it, but.."

Looking back up at Harry, the bright young Witch decided to play along with his avoiding of her previous question..for now.

"Come to think of it, I haven't seen you studying much for the OWLs Harry...I understand you have other things, but..well, you know, it would be better to be prepared".

Harry was now wondering what was worse, being found out about what he was doing by Hermione and receiving a lecture; or being found out that he had hardly studied, which would result him getting a lecture with that as well.

Studying was the least of the fifteen year old's worries. He needed to prepare himself for the unavoidable path that was laying out before him, not knowing if he would come out of it alive at the end.

Even though it had been well over a month now; Harry was still trying to wrap his head around all the drama that went down with Cho Chang.

She couldn't of been more different from him, he had found out that he had nothing in common with the pretty Ravenclaw student. The more he thought about it, the more confused he became on WHY he had liked her in the first place.

Before he knew it, they drifted back to subject on why he was awake at this time of night, Hermione questioned him once more "So, why are you out of bed? at one in the morning..?" she narrowed her brown eyes slightly in the candlelight.

Resting his hand down on the study table, Harry shrugged "Oh no reason, just having trouble sleeping that's all..so I decided to come down here".

Harry avoided speaking of the REAL reason he was down in the Common room, and where he planned on going.

"You know Hermione it is getting pretty late, you look really tired, maybe you should head to bed". Harry tried not to sound like he was up to something, but most likely Hermione was not going to fall for it.

Hearing Harry answer her question, even though she was quite tired from studying until so late, she could still tell that he was hiding something. Of course, Hermione could usually always tell when someone was hiding something from her, especially when that someone was either Harry and Ron.

 _'Just having trouble sleeping? right...'_ Hermione thought to herself, before hearing Harry speak again. His words and the way he was speaking, only made him sound more suspicious.

"Harry...you know that 'trouble sleeping' is one of the oldest excuses in the book, right?" Hermione pointed out in a matter of fact tone.

Right away Harry could tell by the look on Hermione's face and the tone in her voice, that she didn't believe him in the least.

With a slight roll of his eyes, the fifteen year old leaned against the table.

Stubborn like always, Harry replied "Even the oldest excuses can be super effective Hermione".

He refused to outright admit that he was off on some miss adventure, and was hoping to sneak off unnoticed.

"With that Umbridge woman around, it's impossible to practice our magic skills" he muttered out loud.

Emerald eyes coming to rest on the Common room window, watching the inky night sky, a slight smirk had come across Harry's lips.

"But for the past week or so, I've found a way around old toad face's hawk eyes.."

There he had said it, he was indeed up to something. No point in even trying to keep it from Miss Granger here.

"I was actually planning on presenting a new skill to the rest of the D.A, when we have out next meet up".

Harry had a feeling he was the only one out of the D.A that had even managed to succeed in Animagus transformation.

It was no big deal really, well it was as it took an exceedingly advanced magical skill to transform.

Harry being Harry; was always quite modest, he never bragged about his skills. But he felt showing the rest of his friends would be an important thing to do, it may help them in the dark days that were to come.

"I guess, maybe I do have a little miss-adventure in mind...I won't deny it Hermione".

Turning his head to look at the brightest witch of her age, Harry still held that slight mischievous smirk on his lips.

Finally when she heard the answer she was looking; Hermione had a slight smirk appear across her features. She knew it! she knew that something else was up with him, other than his apparently "trouble sleeping".

"A new skill?.." she mumbled to herself curiosity peaked, turning her attention back to her books, she got up and started to stack them neatly on top of each other "I'm going to put these away, I'm finished now anyway..but, I'm coming back here and going with you".

Not even giving Harry a chance to answer, Hermione headed off, out of the Common room, and quietly headed up to the girl's dormitory to put her books back where they belonged.

Shaking his head, Harry didn't even bother arguing with Hermione, she would be going with him, whether he liked it or not.

Watching her leave for the girls dormitory, he now held that famous half smile of his upon his face.

As he waited for her to return; Harry found himself wondering what she would think of him, gaining the skill to be able to transform into an animal.

Hermione had certainly eased up a bit when it came to going against the rules.

Obviously Harry himself and Ron had, had some sort of influence on her over the past four years they had known each other.

The past week or so, Harry had managed to sneak through the halls of the castle without being detected.

Having Hermione with him shouldn't complicate that. Nearly knowing this castle, well parts of it, like the back of his hand.

With Umbridge having her sidekicks prowling the halls, he and Hermione would have to be on their guard.

There was a hidden passage near by that Harry knew about, he had been using it for the past week or so to travel to and from the castle and its grounds.

Once she had put everything away, Hermione quietly tiptoed back down the staircase and returned to the Common room.

A part of Hermione had this feeling that. despite what she said to him, Harry wouldn't have waited and had already left while she was out of the room.

Seeing that he was still there waiting for her, Hermione smiled. She was glad that he did in fact wait for her. That was when she felt her slight heat rise to her cheeks; She realized that it was just going to be her and Harry and no one else. She found herself liking the idea, but ignored the stirring within her chest.

Reaching his side, Hermione then spoke "Well, are we heading off then Harry? wait..how exactly do you get out of here, without being noticed anyway?" She had never asked this earlier, and found herself curious.

The moment Hermione was back at his side and questioning him, that dazzling, mischievous smirk returned.

Randomly; Harry raised a hand, gently he brushed a piece of Hermione's brown hair away from her cheek, this earned a light blush to appear on her cheeks, the clever witch tried to ignore the fact her heart skipped a single beat.

"Hermione, you've got nothing to worry about, trust me it's easy".

Casually he reached for her hand and took it in his; Leaning closer he said near her ear, his voice quiet "Follow me".

Looking around, making sure there was no one else around, he then stepped forwards, pulling the brunette along with him.

Heading straight for the Fat Lady portrait, it automatically swung open for them. Revealing the long, deserted hall that separated the Gryffindor tower entrance, from the moving stair cases.

Straining his ears, Harry listened; he could hear the quiet whispers of some Prefects further up the hall. Luckily the line of suits of armor blocked them from view.

With a squeeze of Hermione's hand, Harry turned towards a pair of bookshelves lined along the wall.

"This way" he whispered to her.

The bookshelves just looked like normal, dusty old shelves to Hermione, causing her to frown slightly. But Harry knew otherwise.

Swiftly he reached for his wand, retrieving it from the back of his pocket; and pointed it at the shelves.

"Lumos". Harry whispered, the greenish glow shone of the bookshelves, it then revealed the lining of a gap around one of the bookshelves; Reaching out, Harry then lightly pushed on it with his hand.

At once there was a sound of wood lightly scraping against the old brick work of the castle.

Stepping back, Harry watched as the bookshelf moved inwards, before sliding sideways; revealing a hidden passageway, which was dimly lit by a few candles on the walls.

A light gasp of surprise fell from Hermione's lips, she had no idea a passage way had been hidden here all this time; She turned her brown eyes to Harry, looking somewhat impressed.

Smiling, Harry looked at her whispering "This way, it's a hidden passage that can take us to the grounds of the school".

Once they stepped into the passageway, the bookshelf slid back into place, hiding the gap in the wall once more.

"H-Harry..." Hermione muttered, following after him "How did you find this?.." she asked him curiously, hearing the entrance to the passageway close behind her.

Simply shrugging; The young wizard replied "Just got lucky I guess, I stumbled across it not that long ago actually".

It was very quiet in the passageway, the only sound being their steps that echoed slightly, bouncing off the candlelit walls around them as they walked.

"I wonder if anyone else is aware of this hidden passageway?" Hermione said thoughtfully, her brown eyes coming to rest on Harry.

"Dunno, as far as I know, I'm the only one that knows about it and uses it, it sure comes in handy if you're trying to avoid that Umbridge" Harry said darkly, he hated her; couldn't stand her in the least, after all she called him a liar, refusing to acknowledge what happened a year ago.

Heart pounding lightly within his chest, Harry watched as the corridor started to round off as they approached a corner.

"We're almost there, best watch out for Prefects that may be patrolling the grounds..but I do know a way to slip around them" Harry made sure to point out quickly, when he noticed the somewhat concerned look on Hermione's face.

As they came to a stop near the exit, Harry raised his wand and muttered the Lumos spell; lighting up the now somewhat narrowed space with a dazzling greenish light.

Stepping slightly to the side, Harry revealed a moving portrait, occupying it was a grumpy looking wizard, his white beard curled upwards in all directions.

Muttering away, he narrowed his beady eyes; squinting in the bright light of Harry's wand.

"What in the bloody name of Merlin is this!? it's after 1 in the morning!" he grumbled.

It took a moment for him to realize it was Harry, his crabby mood quickly fading.

"Ahh, it's Mr Potter! should have known you'd be the only one who would be using my passageway..sneaking out again I see, more training?"

Harry gave a nod, making sure his voice wasn't too loud "Yeah, same as it has been the last week Sir Grove..would you mind terribly, if I used your passageway again?"

With a wave of his hand, Sir Grove replied "Oh not at all, not at all! Oh.."

His eyes finally landed on Hermione "Well, well who is this pretty little thing you've got with you? Girlfriend? Ohoho!" Chuckled the portrait.

Hearing the question from the old wizard, Hermione felt her chocolate, brown eyes go slightly wide, she found herself looking to the side and answered rather quickly "Um, n-no of course not..!" she stammered lightly.

Harry could feel his cheeks heating up, he was glad it wouldn't be noticeable in the weakening light of the Lumos spell.

"Erm, sorry Sir Grove, but we really need to get going.." Harry hinted, hoping the nosy wizard would pick up on it.

"Ah yes! Of course, please go on through, oh no need for the password, I'll make an exception for you!"

With that the portrait swung open, and a cool breeze swept through from the dark grounds of the school.

The creatures that came out of a night could be heard, hooting, screeching and Harry was sure he could hear the distant howl, of the ghostly Gytrash hounds that often stalked the grounds of a night.

"Oh, be sure to watch out for those vicious Gytrashs, they're always lurking the grounds, especially this time of night!" Warned Sir Grove.

"Don't worry, we'll be fine, come on Hermione" Harry stepped out into the slightly chilly air and scanned the long, stretching grounds.

Feeling Hermione at his side, he then unexpectedly felt her hand slip into his, after she reached into her jacket, bringing out her own wand from a pocket she had in the side of it.

Nervously, she searched the grounds with her eyes; brow knitting into a slight frown and she whispered "I've read all about the Gytrash hounds, but I've never seen one for myself, their ghostly appearance can really send chills through you...Harry we should be careful, they're pretty dangerous, the only way we can repel them is with-she was cut off by Harry finishing her sentence "Is by using the Lumos spell on them, don't worry I know, they hate the light".

Slightly surprised that he knew; Hermione then shook her head, a smile forming in the dim light of Harry's lit wand "Well, now with that settled...Harry where EXACTLY are we going?" she questioned in a whisper, as they started off along the slightly damp grass, making sure to stick to the shadows as much as possible.

"To Hagrid's garden, there is a gate that leads into the massive, hidden area...I think it all belongs to Hagrid, you should see the size of the plants there, and some of the creatures that inhabit it, well it has Hagrid written all over it". A smile was tugging at Harry's lips.

Hermione wasn't sure what to think; she had not been aware of the place Harry spoke of "Just how long have you known about this place? and are you sure it will be safe enough for us to go there? you know what Hagrid is like with...'keeping things' he has such a soft spot for all manner of magical creatures, I don't really wish to run into anything too dangerous.."

As much as she loved Hagrid; Hermione knew all too well, what he was like when it came to keeping magical creatures, not all were allowed on Hogwarts' grounds, by wizarding law anyway.

"Honestly Hermione, we'll be fine, I've been going there for a while now, so I half know what to expect at least".

This didn't help Hermione at all; in fact she looked horrified that Harry had been sneaking off to such a place on his own "Harry! that could of been dangerous on your own.." the brunette bit her bottom lip slightly.

"It's fine, I'm fine" Harry said quickly, slightly bemused by Hermione's response "Trust me, when we get there, you'll see it isn't all about danger, it's actually a beautiful place" he tried to reassure her.

Letting out a slight exasperated sigh Hermione replied "Alright, if you say so Harry, besides I am curious about the skill you spoke of, you haven't told me what it is yet" she was very curious, and it could be seen within the light smile she gave.

"Well, I could tell you right now, but I think it would be easier to just show you" Harry smiled, he then proceeded to climb down a somewhat steep bank that led onto a more flat part of the grounds.

Stopping just a foot or so away, he turned back to Hermione and reached out his hand, gently taking her arm and helping her down the bank.

"Be on guard, usually it's around this area the Gytrash hounds appear" Harry warned; obviously he had encountered these ghostly creatures himself, he was prepared to fight them off if need be.

 **A/N: Well that is chapter one complete! I really do hope you enjoy it, I'll try and update again as soon as I am able :)Thank you to those who take the time to read my story, I do hope you will find it enjoyable.  
**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hello everyone! I'm back with chapter two in my Harmione story! thanks to those who have left reviews, and also to those that have followed and added the story to their favorites! so without further ado, let us be off! :) Wow I've been so busy! I've hardly had time to come on Fanfiction, but well I'm here and managed to complete the second chapter! So sorry for the wait on this! hope you all enjoy! ^.^  
**

The duo was lucky to take three steps in front of them, before Harry stopped them; The eerie howls of the Gytrash were close, as they reached his ears within no time.

Stopping at his side; Hermione felt her breath catch in her throat. Instantly she held up her wand, her brown eyes slightly wide as the ghostly dog like creatures rose up from the ground.

Narrowing their pale eyes, the trio of Gytrash snarled loudly; Their transparent bodies were letting off a wispy appearance, it looked almost like fog as it rose up from the creatures' bodies.

Silently they moved with an elegance that was almost as if they were gliding across the darkened ground.

"Here they come, be ready to cast Lumos against them Hermione, watch their movements closely; careful they can be quick". Harry had warned.

Crouching down, bearing its sharp fangs, a Gytrash lunged straight at Harry; Though it started whining and was forced to back off as the light of the Lumos spell blinded it.

Hermione saw one coming for her; standing her ground she called "Lumos!" the tip of her wand lit up with a bright light, hitting the Gytrash directly in the face; Cowering it backed away, before it sunk back down into the earth, disappearing from sight.

The third made a move and threw itself at Harry, he quickly stepped out of the way and pointed his wand, sending a shot of his Lumos spell straight at it from behind; yelping from the brightness, it then vanished into a wispy fog, just as it made contact with a near by tree.

Feeling Hermione's back come to rest up against his; the both of them scanned the area, bodies tense as they waited to see if anymore of the creatures were going to show up.

"I think we got them". Harry said; straining his ears for even the slightest sound that may indicate there were more Gytrashes near by, just waiting to attack.

Lowering her wand, but remaining on alert; Hermione turned to Harry "That's the first time I've personally encountered those creatures, there is something very eerie about them.." She sounded slightly out of breath.

"You'd be surprised just how different a lot of creatures are when encounter them in real life, they're not always how books describe them to be" Harry replied, focusing his emerald eyes upon her "Come on, we better get moving".

Swiftly the pair crossed the grounds, they headed around the massive pumpkin patch that Hagrid had outside his hut; Checking to make sure they wouldn't be spotted by their massive friend.

Careful not to make a sound, Harry led Hermione past the somewhat grubby window of the hut; They could just make out the orange flicker of the lit candles dancing against the glass.

Reaching their destination, Harry stopped at a large gate, which was hidden behind thick layers of vine "This is the way in...Alohomora.." he muttered, there was a slight glow from the tip of his wand and then the sound of the massive, somewhat rusted lock, unlocking itself.

Resting his hand against the gate; Harry pushed it open, it let out a slight groan from the rather rusty hinges that held it in place.

Hermione was shocked that the gate had such an easy lock to unlock "Its not a very well protected place...anyone could get through here, if they know the right spell, if it weren't for all this overgrown vine in the way, who knows how many students would find it". She shook her head, she figured she shouldn't be surprised, this was Hagrid after all.

Once they stepped inside, Harry made sure to close the gate behind them.

Casting a bluish glow upon her face, Hermione's attention was soon upon the mushrooms that were decorating certain areas on the earth, as well as along the side of cliff faces. They grew in clusters and the brunette took notice of the bluish glow they were emitting, it was almost as if someone had come along, placed a whole heap of little lamps everywhere and turned them on.

"Wow.." she whispered, it was rather beautiful; The mushrooms cast a bluish light right along the pathway, it would dim and then go a little brighter every now and again.

Noticing Hermione had seen the glowing mushrooms, Harry smiled and stepped forwards, taking in the illuminated pathway "Pretty cool aren't they; I'm not Neville, so I have no idea what they are, but I think I do remember him telling they were called 'Luminous Mushrooms' or something along those lines, either way, we won't need to use our own magic along the path".

Stepping forwards, Harry made a motion with his hand for Hermione to follow him.

"I've heard of such plants that let off a glow, but I was unsure of the name until now" Hermione expressed her interest in learning about new things, she always did have a deep interest in knowledge.

As they walked side by side, Harry felt Hermione move in closer to him; her arm gently brushing his, it made that fluttering sensation, something he had been feeling for quite some time return.

The silence that was between them wasn't awkward in the least; Harry always felt the gentleness in their silent moments, it was comforting and he often found himself seeking Hermione out, just so they could sit together and enjoy each others company.

Walking the pathway which Harry seemed to know so well, he led them around a corner and casually started up a conversation "Those Horklumps really love this place, I swear there is more since I was last here".

Emerald eyes falling on a rather large group of the odd, pink fleshed creatures; he watched as they appeared to breathe, in doing so they were letting off a yellowish spore, which floated up into the atmosphere.

"Careful not to breathe in any of the spores they release, I read they can cause terrible dizziness temporarily" Hermione wasted no time in pointing that out to Harry, though not considered dangerous; the pretty brunette made sure not to get too close to them.

Already aware of this, Harry replied "Don't worry, I already know that".

Though it was currently night, the fifteen year old could hear squeaking voices of a group of Doxys in the distance; They often came out at all manner of the day, and were considered to be a real pest among Wizards and Witches.

"Those sounds, aren't they from Doxys..?" Hermione questioned softly, but before she could comment on a bite from just one of those could prove fatal if not treated immediately; Harry had beaten her to it, holding a half smile "Yeah that's what the sounds are coming from, their fangs have a very potent venom; one bite can make you sick, or worse it can kill you, if you don't get treatment right away".

When he saw the slightly surprised expression come across Hermione's face, Harry felt a little embarrassed and he quickly added "I've just done a bit more studying on Magical Creatures, since I started to come here, you need to know some things..that's all..no big deal really". he sounded a little flustered.

Unable to stop the smile from spreading; Hermione found herself giggling at Harry's modesty.

"What? what's so funny?" The fifteen year old wizard questioned her, arching an eye brow.

"You, honestly Harry, there is nothing wrong with studying about the creatures that live in our world".

Calming herself; with that smile still visible she looked up into Harry's beautiful emerald eyes, finding herself getting lost "This is Hagrid we're talking about after all, who knows what we may find in here, so we should take extra care Harry, and knowing a thing or two about the creatures that live in here, well it may just save our lives.."

Scratching the back of his neck with his hand, Harry smiled at Hermione "Yeah, you have a point, I haven't gone very deep into the garden, but most likely there will be dragons or some manner of powerful creature waiting.."

Something catching from the corner of Hermione's eye drew her attention away from Harry; Having paused in their walk, the dancing glow that was emitting from a massive tree in a nearby clearing was what caught the brunettes attention.

"Harry.." she breathed softly "Look at that tree" walking over, it soon occurred to Hermione that they were seeing hundreds, upon hundreds of fairies occupying the large tree.

Weaving in and out of the branches and leaves, the fairies fluttered about; the whitish glow that surrounded their bodies faded in and out like the light from fireflies. If one listened closely enough, they would hear the soft giggling of the pretty creatures.

Though fairies in the Wizard world were nothing like what was read in fairy tales; They were quite nasty little creatures and could be aggressive, but nonetheless, Hermione found herself mesmerized by them.

"These are fairies Harry, look how many there are in this one tree, the light they give off is rather beautiful.." The brunette whispered.

"Yeah, beautiful.." Harry replied, but he wasn't talking about the fairies; in fact he was no longer admiring the tree, his emerald eyes had come to rest upon Hermione. Under the flickering glow the fairies were letting off, she looked absolutely stunning under the glow of the fairies.

Able to feel her best friend watching her; turning her chocolate brown eyes to focus on the Boy Who Lived, though he was hardly a boy anymore, Hermione felt a gentle heat rising to her cheeks.

"Um, Harry..?" brown eyes soon met his emerald depths once more; It was in that moment that Hermione felt her heart skip a beat, and that feeling, the one where it felt like butterflies were fluttering all around in the pit of her stomach. It was the same feeling she had been feeling since her third year at Hogwarts, but within the past two years it had steadily grown in strength.

Back when she was thirteen; Hermione hadn't really thought too much into it, but after last year and the fright she received while seeing Harry be put through those grueling and almost cruel tasks, for a tournament he was never supposed to be in to begin with.

With the extra time she had been given to spend with Harry, while Ron was too busy fuming over his jealousy of his best friend; The clever witch had come to know Harry even better, they had grown closer and now...something had changed.

The jolt she felt in her stomach whenever she first saw Harry in the mornings, that flutter that enters her heart whenever he smiles at her; There had been a shift in the feelings she held for him, it was no longer as simple as him being her best friend. No, something else was now taking up that spot.

Taking a step closer to Harry, Hermione couldn't tear her gaze away from his; those emerald eyes were hypnotizing.

Harry didn't step back as the brunette moved in closer to him, his own heart was hammering against his chest. He watched as the glow from the fairies cast an alluring aura over Hermione, the light danced across her flawless features.

"Hermione.." was the only word that Harry could say, being drawn into the moment that was upon them out of no where.

Before she could even acknowledge what she was doing, Hermione stepped in closer, her hand automatically coming to rest on Harry's forearm. Unable to stop herself, she looked up into his beautiful green eyes, she was instantly drawn in and soon found herself leaning up towards his face.

Harry responded to her action by leaning down to her; with both their hearts racing, they were only inches away from their lips touching, when a rather eerie growl came from somewhere in the distance.

The sound made Hermione jump slightly, the moment was gone just as quickly as it had come between them; Both she and Harry faced the direction it had come from.

"Harry, what was that?" the brunette whispered, she gripped her wand tightly within her hand.

When they heard the growling again; Harry had a feeling he knew what it was "That..doesn't sound good, I think I know what it is..come on, we need to get away from here".

Noticing the fairies had stopped all their alluring dancing, they all scattered and quickly went to hide, making the entire area dark once more.

With her hand in his, his wand gripped in his other; Harry led Hermione away from the massive tree and over towards one of the many pathways that led to a different part of the massive garden.

Feeling her back come up against the side of one of the massive cliff, through the darkness her brown eyes came to focus on Harry "Harry, what is it?" she had hissed in a voice that was barely a whisper.

Before he could even answer, Harry heard the sounds of bushes being forced apart, the crunching of twigs and leaves against the earth as the sound of many legs could be heard moving beneath the inky night sky.

Squinting through the dark, too cautious to use the Lumos spell; Harry could only just make out the massive shape, but it was the pale eyes that were shining through the darkness that gave away what they were.

"Blast-Ended Skrewt.." the fifteen year old muttered quietly.

"What? but I thought Hagrid told us those creatures had all killed each other...!" Hermione replied.

"So did I..we can fight them with the Impediment Jinx, it'll slow them down, but if we get stabbed by that stinger, it'll be fatal.." Harry remembered that the Impediment Jinx had aided him during his time in the maze of the final task of the Triwizard Tournament a year ago.

"I'd rather we didn't engage them in battle Harry, I know how dangerous they can be.." Hermione voiced her concern.

Knowing she was right, if they could avoid a fight then he would be grateful, looking down the dark pathway as a breeze whipped up, Harry had a feeling this would lead them further into the garden.

"Let's go this way, the sooner we get away from here, the better.." gently he took Hermione by the hand "Stay close, this place is full of creatures of all sorts".

"Which is what I've been worrying about this entire time Harry.." Hermione chewed on her bottom lip, she followed him "We could've at least gone somewhere that wouldn't be as unpredictable as Hagrid's garden..honestly".

Harry could tell Hermione wanted to lecture him on leading them into trouble once again, he forced himself not to roll his eyes, but he could feel a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"We're fine Hermione, seriously you worry way too much, once we're out of this part of the garden, we should be-Harry didn't have a chance to finish, as from out of the pitch black darkness, something long and hard came whipping from the right and made contact with Harry's ribs, forcing him and Hermione apart.

Feeling his back make contact with the lower part of one of the cliffs, his wand had been knocked out of his hand; as he landed on the ground, Harry could see specks of light obscuring his vision; dazed, he tried to make sense of the sounds that were around him.

"HARRY!" Hermione shouted, she had been forced to the opposite side; barely missing being hit.

Wand clutched tightly in her hand, she was soon face to face with a massive Blast-Ended Skrewt, which had obviously been hiding near by.

Growling loudly, it advanced on the brunette; waving its long, scorpion like tail about dangerously. Moving to attack, Hermione wasted no time in pointing her wand and shouting "IMPENDIMENTA!" Instantly the creature was forced to an abrupt halt in its movements.

Knowing it would only last for a short while, Hermione scrambled over to Harry, her eyes slightly wide as she reached for his arm and helped him to his feet "Harry! are you alright!?" there was panic within her tone.

Besides being winded and dazed, Harry didn't feel too bad, although it hurt to breathe "I'm fine...that thing came out of no where!"

Commanding his wand to light up with the Lumos spell, Harry felt his stomach sink when he saw a second Skrewt heading swiftly towards them "Hermione, run! go! IMPENDIMENTA!" the second creature was brought to a halt in mid jump, as it had lunged right at them.

Holding tightly onto each others hands, the duo quickly fled the area; Harry led them down one of the pathways, making a sharp turn on a number of occasions. He had no idea where they were going, but he had to get them away from those dangerous creatures.

"Harry, where are we going!?" Hermione questioned, almost out of breath, gripping tightly onto his hand.

"Anywhere but here, I don't fancy running into those things again, they were hard to beat during the third task last year, and that was just one.."

It was the sound of rushing water that brought Harry to a stop, chest rising and falling heavily, he raised his wand trying to find where the sound was coming from.

"I think we may be near a waterfall or something.." he muttered, quickly straining his ears and listening to see if the Skrewts had followed them, but besides the sound of the rushing water, the rest of the area was silent.

"Harry, we can't stay out in the open like this..who knows when those things will find us again, we need to get somewhere safe..or at least up high" The light from Hermione's own wand was casting a warm light across her worried face.

Looking around him, there still wasn't enough light for them; Then his eyes fell upon the faint blue glow of the mushrooms that decorated every nook and cranny of Hagrid's Garden.

Suddenly he was struck with an idea, they needed more light and he knew exactly how to create that; Pointing his wand towards the closest mushroom he then called "Lumos Maxima!" the bright light shot from the tip and hit the mushroom, it triggered something and the spell traveled swiftly through each mushroom, lighting them and leaving a blazing trail in its wake.

Hermione jumped slightly, her brown eyes followed the spell that Harry had cast; she was amazed by the power it left behind, before long the entire clearing they had entered was now fully lit up.

Eyes somewhat wide, Hermione looked to Harry and it was no surprise she was impressed by his quick thinking "Harry, that is amazing, I had no idea the Lumos spell could have that affect on those glowing mushrooms..!"

Hearing the distant noise of hurrying legs as they thundered through the garden, and Harry knew there wasn't much time before those Skrewts reached them "No time to admire the handy work Hermione, we need to get to safety.."

Emerald eyes searching frantically for a place to hide, he then saw it; A small, running waterfall and behind the rushing water was a gaping hole, which obviously led into one of the many hidden caves this garden would surely have.

"Up there, Hermione we can reach that ledge by climbing up the rocks around the stream, it should hopefully shield us from view, and I don't think Blast Ended Skrewts can climb rocks.." Well the fifteen year old could only hope they couldn't.

Wasting no more time, Harry and Hermione hurried over to their destination, scrambling over some of the rocks that surrounded the stream.

Climbing up on one of the lower, Harry then held his hand out to Hermione "Take my hand, I'll boost you up" Harry had to say somewhat loudly, over the sound of the waterfall, the spray from it was landing on his round glasses.

Reaching for Harry's hand, Hermione was soon pulled up onto the rock beside him, she looked nervously over her shoulder as the angry Blast Ended Skrewts came thundering into the area.

"Come on!" Harry's voice snapped the brunette's attention back to him, she then let out a somewhat surprised noise as she felt his hands around her waist; Harry wasted no time in lifting Hermione up slightly and she quickly grabbed for a thick tree branch, one that was sticking out of the rocks, she used it to pull herself up to the higher ground, with Harry's help in boosting her up.

Once she was up; Hermione brushed some strands of hair out of her face, before reaching her hand down to Harry "Harry, come on take my hand!"

Reaching up and grasping her hand, Harry then pulled himself up onto the ledge and not a moment too soon; One of the Skrewts had thrown itself at the side of the rocky ledge, throwing its weight against it, trying to knock them back down.

Still hand in hand, both Harry and Hermione scrambled back away from the edge, they were soon shielded from view by the rushing wall of water; Harry had been right, when he had a hunch this small hole led into one of the caverns of the garden.

The angry sounds of the Skrewts was soon drowned out by the rushing water "Well that was close". Harry said loudly over the rushing waterfall, he focused his attention upon Hermione, she was a little white in the face and was taking a moment to recollect herself.

"Too close...honestly Harry, maybe coming here wasn't the best idea.." Hermione frowned and locked her chocolate brown eyes with his emerald green ones.

Trying not to roll his eyes at Hermione's caution, Harry then shook his head "Well we're safe, so that's all that matters..come on, all these caverns lead over to the other side of the garden, we're almost there" he reassured her.

With the tip of his wand lighting up once more; Hermione's hand in his, he then started to lead the way through the caverns, thankfully they weren't difficult to decipher, which Harry was grateful for the lack of endless tunnels, they would be at their destination soon enough.


End file.
